ShopBot In The News: Archive

In the Next Industrial Revolution, Atoms Are the New Bits

Wired (January 25, 2010)
– A garage renaissance is spilling over into such phenomena
as the booming Maker Faires and local “hackerspaces.” Peer production,
open source, crowdsourcing, user-generated content — all these
digital trends have begun to play out in the world of atoms,
too. The Web was just the proof of concept. Now the revolution
hits the real world.
[View Full Article Online]

Woodshop News (November 2009) – ShopBot
and Ponoko have combined on joint venture to bring together
small shops with local CNC machinery operators. The September
launch of 100kGarages.com
began a new concept of custom fabrication...
[View Full Article, PDF]

Custom linear motion design speeds assembly

Design World (October 2008) – ShopBot,
a leading manufacturer of CNC routing machines, selected a Bishop-Wisecarver
linear motion device for the PowerStick feature of its second-generation
ShopBot "Buddy."
[View Full Article, PDF]

ShopBot adds “Buddy” to compact CNC line

Woodshop News (November 2008) – ShopBot
recently launched its newly designed compact and mobile CNC,
the ShopBot Buddy, which can handle larger pieces of sheet goods
than its predecessor, the ShopBot BenchTop. The ShopBot
Buddy models come in either 32 or 48 PRSalpha or PRSstandard
versions, depending on motor and drive system.
[View Full Article, PDF]

ShopBot CNC router - Fast, accurate and creative

American Woodworker (September 2008)
– Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machines for drilling,
sawing and routing have been around for decades. Their precision,
speed, versatility and ability to perform repetitive tasks have
revolutionized the cabinet and furniture industry...
[View Full Article, PDF]

Wood magazine names ShopBot Buddy one of the 15 Smokin'
tools for 2008

Wood (Dec 2007) – "Wood magazine
editors traveled the globe this past year looking for new tools,
accessories and supplies designed to make the most of your time
in the shop. Here's the best of what we found."
[View Full Article, PDF]

ShopBot: CNC for the rest of us

Woodworker's Journal (Sep 2007) – "Remember
those clever all-in-one tools like the Shopsmith? The
idea was to have one machine that took up limited space but
could do almost every woodworking task. Well, say hello
to ShopBot, the modern answer to that age-old problem..."
[View Full Article, PDF]

In with the new at the 2007 AWFS Fair

Woodshop News (Sep 2007) – "ShopBot
Tools introduced a benchtop CNC machine, suitable for a small
shop or job site. It's a scaled-down version of the company's
Personal Robotic System line..."
[View Full Article, PDF]

ShopBotters converge on California

CabinetMaker (July 2007) – CabinetMaker
Digest "The sixth annual ShopBot Jamboree took place May
16-18 in San Mateo and Foster City, California..."
[View Full Article, PDF]

ShopBot develops new CNC router for D-I-Y
boatbuilding

Boatbuilder (May/June 2007) – "ShopBot
Tools has launched a new line of CNC routers for serious do-it-yourselfers.
The new Personal Robotic Systems (PRSstandard) are automated
cutting, routing, carving and drilling tools offering many of
the features and capabilities of larger, more expensive CNC
machines."[View
Full Article, PDF]

CNC machinery for small shops

Woodshop News (April 2007)
– "In about three months CNC manufacturers will descend
on Las Vegas for the AWFS Fair, choosing the year's biggest
woodworking show to unveil their new products. Call us
impatient but we wanted to know now, so we proudly present a
sampling of the latest CNC machinery available for the small
shop..."
[View Full Article, PDF]

How CNC routers are being used by sign shops

SignBuilder Illustrated (December, 2005)
- “The key to machining any material with CNC is matching the
appropriate cutter with the right feed rates and spindle speeds,”
says Ted Hall, president of CNC router manufacturer and tool
provider ShopBot Tools, Inc., of Durham, North Carolina. The
company states that there are almost 4,000 three-dimensional
capable ShopBot CNC tools in the field, many of them being used
by sign makers. “Our ShopBot CNC routers are being used around
the world to produce commercial, residential, two-dimensional,
three-dimensional, plastic, wood, and aluminum signs,” says
Hall. “Signs with carved features made from foam and wood are
becoming increasingly popular ..."
[View Full Article, PDF]

Woodworking CNCs: Routers and beyond

WoodShop News (November, 2005) - "The
affordability of CNC machinery for the small and medium shop
becomes more attractive with each passing year. CNC, which stands
for computer-numerically-controlled, allows a shop to perform
repetitive jobs with precision while cutting production time
and employee workload -- resulting in a higher profit margin. "
[View Full Article, PDF]

Tomorrow's woodworking today with CNC routers

WOOD Magazine (October, 2005) - How
many times have we seen a high-tech product start out high-
priced, and then watch it inch down in cost, becoming affordable
for a broader audience? Computers, DVD players, and digital
cameras have all traveled that highway. And now, in woodworking,
CNC (computer numerically controlled) cutting machines have
joined the parade. ShopBot Tools, Inc, located in Durham, North
Carolina, has figured a way to produce quality, production-oriented
CNCs from $6,995 to $10,995. That’s about one-fifth the cost
of industrial models found in factories that mass-produce plastic
and wood parts.
[View Full Article, PDF]

HIGH-SPEED, AFFORDABLE CNC

AWFS® New Products Volume 26, Number 5 (September
29, 2005) - ShopBot Tools Inc., a manufacturer of CNC
tools, offers the fastest CNC routers in its class. The new
line of CNCs feature the industry’s first closed-loop stepper
motors that give ShopBot’s tools performance speeds of up to
1,800 inches per minute for transit and 600 inches per minute
for cutting. Now, almost a year after their introduction, these
PRTalpha tools are believed to be the fastest selling CNC ever
with more than 400 sold in the inaugural year.

“We have always aimed at being the industry leader in affordable,
performance CNC,” said Ted Hall, president of ShopBot Tools
Inc. “We credit the success of the PRTalpha to its ability to
give our customers the maximum production possible at the most
affordable price-point on the market.”

The ShopBot PRTalpha is the only CNC available with the closed-loop,
“alphaStep” motors and drivers. These motors combine the best
features of servo and stepper motors – offering exceptionally
fast and smooth cutting motion with no “tuning” or “hunting”
problems. The PRTalpha technology remains very affordable. A
complete 4’ x 8’ ShopBot CNC tool with a 5HP Colombo spindle
and CAD CAM software starts for less than $14,500.

SHOPBOT ANNOUNCES NEW AIR-DRILL ATTACHMENT

DURHAM, NC (July 26, 2005) - ShopBot Tools
Inc., the leading manufacturer of affordable CNC routers, announced
the release of the new ShopBot Air Drill Attachment at its annual
Jamboree in April 2005. The attachment allows ShopBot CNCs to
drill holes without changing bits. The Air Drill Attachment
is great for cabinet and furniture makers who desire new capabilities
for their ShopBot CNC. The attachment fits next to the cutter
head on the Y carriage. “We are very excited about the new ShopBot
Air Drill Attachment,” said Ted Hall, president of ShopBot Tools
Inc. “It is just another step in our commitment to offer our
customers the most affordable, competitive advantages possible
for their ShopBot CNCs.”

SHOPBOT ANNOUNCES THE SHOPBOT CABINET SYSTEM – A COMPLETE
NESTED BASED CABINET PRODUCTION SYSTEM

DURHAM, NC (July 10, 2005) - ShopBot Tools
Inc., the leading manufacturer of affordable CNC routers, is
proud to announce the release of the ShopBot Cabinet System.
This all-inclusive system combines the ShopBot Cabinet Machine
with industry-leading KCDw and ArtCAM Cabinetmaker software
for easy design and fabrication of cabinet components.

“We are very excited to offer cabinet makers the most affordable
nested-based cabinet package on the market,” said Ted Hall,
president of ShopBot Tools Inc. “This all started two years
ago when we developed a tool with increased speed and accuracy.
When the ShopBot PRTalpha was introduced last year, we immediately
began work on putting together a complete system for cabinet
shops. The ShopBot Cabinet System is a great package that is
complete, effective and priced for less than what most Cabinetmakers
would pay for just a CNC tool.

”The system comes with a ShopBot PRTalpha96 featuring alphaStep
closed-loop motors for transit speeds of 1,800 inches per minute
and cutting speeds up to 600 inches per minute. The Machine
is fitted with the new ShopBot Air Drill Head allowing cabinet
makers to drill holes without expensive tool changers. The software
includes industry leading KCDw and ArtCAM Cabinetmaker for streamlined
design and fabrication of cabinet components. The ShopBot Cabinet
System also includes a 5 horsepower Colombo Spindle and 15 horsepower
vacuum pump.

SHOPBOT APPEARS ON NEW YANKEE WORKSHOP

DURHAM, NC (March 22, 2005) - A ShopBot
PRT 96, a computer numerically controlled (CNC) cutting machine
produced by ShopBot Tools of Durham, N.C., appeared on the hit
show “New Yankee Workshop” on PBS on March 26, 2005. The
show highlighted a variety of sign making techniques at the
Lincoln Sign Company in Lincoln, NH, the place where the original
“New Yankee Workshop” sign was crafted.

“The show has always wanted to pay [the Lincoln Sign Company]
a visit and to find out how professionals create these masterpieces,”
officials from the “New Yankee Workshop” stated on their website.
“In this program, Norm [Abram] does just that and finds out
how a router, a sand blaster, a hand chisel and a sophisticated
computerized machine can be used to carve out modern signs.
Then he learns how the professionals design, hand letter, paint
and gild these beauties.”

The ShopBot was used in J.D. Iles’ workshop where, during
the shoot, the tool is V-carving a sign. Also, the benefits
of using a CNC machine are discussed.

“J.D., his family and crew were great,” said Gordon Bergfors,
ShopBot technical assistant on the set. “They were very
friendly and excited about the event. J.D. is very enthusiastic
about his ShopBot and how it is helping his company grow and
produce some of the most amazing signs. It was also exciting
to meet Norm and to talk to him about woodworking.”

SHOPBOT APPEARS ON EXTREME MAKEOVER HOME EDITION – HOW’D
THEY DO THAT?

DURHAM,
NC (February 23, 2005) - Ty Pennington went to the
hospital with appendicitis, and it was a ShopBot CNC that helped
keep his “secret room” project on “Extreme Makeover Home Edition”
on schedule.

A ShopBot CNC router, manufactured by ShopBot Tools Inc.
of Durham, N.C., made another television appearance on “Extreme
Makeover Home Edition – How’d They Do That?” in February. The
episode featured a segment on how CNC routers are used in furniture
making. The ShopBot CNC was used to cut key parts of a piece
of furniture for Pennington’s “secret room” – a ribbed bench
called “the sternum.”

“We are very proud of our product,” said Ted Hall, president
and owner of ShopBot Tools Inc. “We believe the high profile
attention it receives is a direct result of the performance
of our tools and the quality of support we provide.”

The ShopBot woodworking machine is not an official product
of the ABC show, but is owned by Pennington who purchased it
in the fall of 2003. Rob Williams, Pennington’s shop manager,
operated the ShopBot on the episode when the filming took place
in his workshop in Atlanta, Ga. earlier in February.

About ShopBot Tools, Inc:
ShopBot Tools, based in Durham, N.C., designs and manufactures
low-cost, high-value Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) cutting
systems. ShopBot was founded by CEO Ted Hall, Ph.D., a
Duke University professor of neuroscience, who developed the
tool while building plywood boats as a hobby. After several
years of development, the company began shipping tools in 1996.
With 6,000 ShopBots in 54 countries, ShopBot is one of the largest
producers of CNC systems for woodworking and plastics in North
America. The company employs 25 people in the Durham,
N.C. area.